Politics at its worst!

Administration uses semantics to deny public information

The administration of Gov. Bobby Jindal continues to cloak itself in a veil of secrecy despite the governor’s spurious boasts of having the most transparent administration in America.

His actions fly in the face of his bogus claims of accountability and openness.

After his ridiculous and shameless exhibition of releasing his birth certificate—as if it mattered or more significantly, as if anyone cared—one would think he’d be eager to comply with a simple request to divulge his federal income tax returns.

One would think wrong.

One would think that after the public relations disaster that occurred at the confirmation hearings of his secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, he would be equally eager to comply with a public records request as to the identity of the financial analyst selected to conduct an assessment of the Office of Group Benefits.

Again, one would think wrong.

LouisianaVoice made both requests—in vain, it turns out….again.

Not that we’re surprised; this administration doesn’t even respond to legislative committees. Why should we be any different?

We thought it would great to let all those north Louisiana Protestant churches that Jindal loves to visit know how well the governor backs up the talk with the walk. In other words, does he back his professed belief with support of his church? That information would be contained in his federal tax return, so we made the request.

It wasn’t an original idea. The San Antonio Express recently published an interesting story about Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his religious commitment. Perry, the story said, earned almost $2.7 million from 2000, when he became governor, through 2009.

Any good Baptist will tell you that you should to tithe 10 percent. Perry’s donations to churches and religious organizations totaled $14,243—one-half of one percent, or one-twentieth of the minimum recommended dosage.

Surely Jindal would not be so crass. Certainly, he would reveal what a generous giver he is. After all, he appears to like nothing better than jumping in a state police helicopter and hopping up north to visit a church in say, Shongaloo, Haughton, or Mansfield.

So, we asked.

The response, from Elizabeth B. Murrill, deputy executive counsel to the governor, was short and sweet:

“We are in receipt of your public records request for copies of Governor Jindal’s federal income tax returns for the years 2003 through 2010. These documents are not public record.”

We’ve been writing for some time now about Jindal’s efforts to privatize the Office of Group Benefits (OGB). After negotiations with Goldman Sachs fell through pursuant to a request for proposals (RFP) for a financial analyst to conduct an assessment of OGB, the Division of Administration (DOA) promptly issued a second RFP.

The deadline for the submission of proposals on the second RFP was June 6 with the “probable” date for naming of the financial analyst being June 15.

LouisianaVoice learned that on June 6, a representative or representatives of DOA appeared at OGB and retrieved the proposals, reportedly from three companies, including Goldman Sachs.

June 15 came and went, so we called DOA Chief of Staff Dirk Thibodeaux and his answer was decidedly curt. “If you read the RFP, you saw that June 15 was a tentative date,” he said.

“Well, since today is June 15, has there been a tentative decision?” we asked.

“No.”

So, we waited a few more days and asked again—this time as a formal public records request.

The response was clear indication that DOA has dug in its heels:

“In accordance with R.S. 44:1, et seq., this letter acknowledges our receipt of your correspondence dated June 15, 2011, where you have requested information regarding ‘the selection of the financial analyst chosen pursuant to the RFP…on behalf of the Office of Group Benefits.’

“Having reviewed your request, we are able to inform you that the Division does not possess the requested records. Furthermore, no such record exists.”

By now, it’s clear that DOA is determined to conceal public information, even to the point of lying, so we fired off another email:

“We are getting quite weary of the Division of Administration’s policy of dodging legitimate questions to which the public has a full and complete right to know the answers. Now you are beginning to play with semantics. You have taken the word ‘records’ and used it as the basis on which to deny our requests.

“So, now we will try a different approach.

“We are aware that on the day the proposals were due at the Office of Group Benefits by close of business on June 6, 2011. We are also aware that on that date, a representative or representatives of the Division of Administration appeared at OGB and took possession of the proposals. Further, we are aware that the ‘probable’ date for the naming of the financial analyst was June 15, 2011.

“You have chosen to split hairs by seizing on the terminology of ‘public records,’ denying there were any ‘records’ that would be responsive to my request. Accordingly, we are now making the same request but applying that request to ‘public business’ as defined in the applicable section of the law below.”

“The Louisiana Open Meeting Law under R.S. 42:4.1 through 10 provides the methods by which public meetings are conducted. The statement of purpose of the Open Meetings Act states, ‘it is essential to the maintenance of a democratic society that public business be performed in an open and public manner and that the citizens be advised of and aware of the performance of public officials and the deliberations and decisions that go into the making of public policy.”

“We are all aware that you (a) have the proposals and that you are (b) withholding information on ‘the performance of public officials and the deliberations and decisions that go into the making of public policy.’ The citizens of Louisiana are legally and morally entitled to know what our government is doing. Gov. Jindal has repeatedly boasted of his ‘open and accountable’ and ‘transparent’ administration.

“We have played games long enough. We want this information and we want it in a timely fashion.”

We’re betting that this “open, transparent, and accountable” administration will ignore our request and continue to withhold information that you, the voting public, are legally and morally entitled to know.

We’re pretty sure of this because when the administration did comply with a routine request for innocuous records recently, we were instructed to make an appointment with one Kara Allen of DOA to arrange to pick up the documents. We did and she was kind enough to give us an appointment for 1:00 p.m. the next day.

When we showed up at the guard desk of the Claiborne Building, the guard called up to the seventh floor. Instead of allowing us into the DOA offices, a student worker was sent downstairs to the guard station with the documents.

We first thought that perhaps we must be carriers of some dreaded disease. But now we know that the disease exists in the administration itself and that its victims fear that a little sunshine may be lethal.

Whether the administration is responsive or not, we will have made our point.

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9 Responses

One of these days all this is going to catch up with the gentlemen who think they are above the law. I would not want to be them when they have to re appear before the Senate and Govermental Affairs committee to discuss their confirmation and the Chaffe report. If that meeting is anywhere close to what happenend to their buddy Bruce the hair will fly. Shame on them for being so arrogant…

The committee will cave and recommend everyone for confirmation–including Paul Rainwater–despite the vigorous questioning by Jackson, Murray, and Peterson. It is clear that Chairman Kostelka and several others (Donahue, Claitor, Walsworth) are steadfastly on the administration’s side, regardless of the issues-problems with the nominees.

What amazes me is the fact that NO ONE from OGB was included on the review committe of these RFP’s. The people most knowledgable about our health care plans were excluded. We are left with the YAHOOS at DOA to make this important decision regarding our health benefits. They are probably trying to contact each company to see if they will work to find a way for Jindal to get his hands on the fund balance. His greedy little butt needs to be kicked all across the lawn at the Capitol.

Rainwater, Brady and Jindal say they have our best interest at heart because they are covered by the same plans. What they don’t say is that they will be moving on to other jobs just as soon as we can get rid of this Administration. They couldn’t care less about our health plans.

The Jindal Administration owes Goldman Sachs $6 million dollars. They completed the first RFP and was the only company to bid. They could’nt get past the whole indemity thing.

Now they can so don’t be surprised if they are chosen. Even if they don’t have the best proposal in the bid. Kinda like chosing CSNI for the DHH contract even though they were 3rd best in the bidding process. Got to have someone you can work with, right? $6 million now write the check.

So, you’re saying that the administration is a bunch of vampires sucking the life out of Louisiana and that sunshine would kill them?

I can assure you that the DOA has no clue as to what OGB actually does because they have not even been to the offices, though Mr. Teague invited them several times. Mr. Jindal is so committed to privatizing OGB that he will do so even though it is not in the best interest of the state. He recommended that OGB be privatized when he was at DHH but a study was done then which determined that having OGB handle the claims was cheaper, even though back then OGB did not have that big enticing surplus.

Last year when the PPO program was put out for bid, Blue Cross was the only bidder and it was determined then that Blue Cross could not handle the claims at the same cost as OGB. How many times does the govenor need to be told that?

Corinne, Jindal does not care about anything except getting control of the $530 million surplus to fix his 1.6 billion deficit as this will make him look good at the polls in Oct./Nov 2011. I pray everyone gets to the poles and take out the politicians that did this horrific nightmare, if it happens. But from all I read it will happen right under our exhausted Fighting noses. God Bless us all!!!
Can anyone tell me what other action I can take now? Lets sue, lets impeach there has got to be something we can do.

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